I think, BMF or BMP (Boeblingen Maintenance Plant) deserves much more space …

From 1978 to 1985 my office was in the former Flughafenhotel and I was in charge of the R&U-shop; therefore I knew the whereabouts and their history pretty well.

As military airport, it began around 1915, after WWI it became a school for pilots and around 1922 this was THE Stuttgart airport (no one talked about Echterdingen then) and after 1928 also the Klemm Flugzeugwerke (Klemm was a famous designer of small light planes), during WWII it was also used as airfield (I remember my father telling me, he had landed there a couple of times with his JU-52 transport plane) and received quite some bombing, the most in 1944.

Some time after WWII BMF became a “government owned civilian operated” rebuild plant for tracked and wheeled vehicles. Unserviceable vehicles were taken apart (literally “down to the last bolt”), paint and rust removed in a sandblast station (which used steel grit instead of sand, so it could be separated by a magnet and reused), further cleaning was in pool-sized acid baths.

Non-repairable parts were replaced, the vehicle reassembled, painted and tested – it left the plant nearly brand new.

This operation was discontinued in 1975, buildings and machinery were preserved to the maximum possible, many of the 1200 workers found work “next door” at the Daimler factory. Some five years later, well preserved and unused since 1975, most machines were scrapped.

Some buildings were then used for maintenance work on vehicles from Panzer Kaserne (different US units) and also as warehouses for various spare parts by the 8906^th CSG. Also a trailer transfer point with small repair shop was established by the 6966^th CSG (number ??) for the transportation units. Also the 8404^th CSG was located there and repaired buildings throughout GSMC.

The rail head was used to transport the tanks out of Panzer Kaserne (1/4 CAV). During 1979 (??) REFORGER, BMF was tent city, tank cleaning and customs inspection for troops returning from the exercise.

Also here, the weirdest stories spread among troops about underground plane hangars and elevators, which would deliver a plane ready for take-off right on the runway … many openings had been broken into basement walls to find some remnants. But the entire area had been swampy, therefore any underground construction would require constant drainage or else be flooded. Such as the basement of the “hotel” (we had supply and weapons storage there) had been flooded about 2 feet deep after a severe rain (uprising water had literally broken the concrete floor).

In the late 1980s the CSG units were deactivated and the area closed, later it was used as storage area for used Mercedes trucks and since 2003 totally refurbished (including search for unexploded bombs by digging up the ground about 15 feet deep). Now only about 3 buildings were left standing (this includes the original airport reception building, a small log house), the entire area will be something like a separate part of the city of Boeblingen (see www.flugfeld.info).

To learn more about the history of BMF, I recommend the book by Erwin Funk “Boeblingen – Fliegerstadt und Garnison”  1974 (but I don’t know about its availability).

Best regards and appreciation for a fine website covering one part & aspect of my life.

It appears that by July 1945, the US Army (probably Seventh Army service troops) had set up an Ordnance Depot and Collecting Point at the Boeblingen airfield. Collecting points were set up throughout the US Zone to receive equipment and supplies from organizations and units leaving the Theater for redeployment. Personnel at these collecting points were responsible for performing identification, classification, segregation, rehabilitation and storage maintenance on the turned-in equipment and supplies.

Besides the former airfield buildings, the depot also used the former industrial plant (hangars, administrative buildings, warehouses) of the Klemm Flugzeugbau manufacturing company that was colocated on the airfield.

According to information collected by the Böblinger Flughafengeschichten historians (BFH), over 4,000 combat, general and special purpose vehicles, artillery pieces, and other equipment was turned in to this collecting point.

On October 8, 1945 the Böblingen Ordnance Depot was transferred -- with many other Third and Seventh Army depots -- to the Theater Service Forces, European Theater (TSFET). Prior to the transfer, the Boeblingen Ord Depot was a Western Military District installation that supported Seventh Army. The installation's mission, at this time, was stated as "receipt, repair, preservation and disposition of artillery, instruments, GP and combat vehicles." (2)

In the November TSFET Progress Report, a list of depots in Germany is provided for that reporting period. The installation at the Boeblingen Airfield is listed as the Boeblingen Ordnance Service Vehicle park. Total number of depot personnel is cited as 1,617 -- of which 40 percent were US military. (The other Vehicle Parks were: Butzbach, Kassel (2), Nürnberg, & Karlsfeld.)

On March 1, 1946 TSFET was inactivated and all filler depots and Ordnance 4th echelon shops were transferred to the newly activated Continental Base Section. (3)

In 1947, the vehicle park was converted to an ordnance rebuild depot. The Boeblingen rebuild depot initally became responsibile for the rebuild of trailers and semi-trailers. Other types of ordnance vehicles, including combat vehicles, were added in 1954 to the depot's rebuild mission.

As of May 15, 1947, effective upon the inactivation of Continental Base Section, the EUCOM Ordnance Division assumed operational control of twelve base maintenance installations where Ordnance materiel is overhauled and rebuilt prior to issue to using units. These rebuild plants came under the Ordnance Base Maintenance Center at Esslingen which was operated by the 86th Ord Base Depot. The Boeblingen Depot was one of these twelve installations. (4)

The STATION LIST for September 1 1948, shows that Detachment #4, 7845th Ordnance Maintenance Group operated the Böblingen Ord Depot, under the command of the Base Maintenance Center at Esslingen.